Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/210/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 9
ws [[?]] hard to locate. The
Lewis Gunners of the 2
plns wh were held up
moved forward & dealt
with these guns from
the open. The Germans were
trying to fire at them but they
got in first. As their fire
died, our men made for
the trenches by short rushes
& got in. 27 Germans
surrendered from this place -
they had no chance of
getting away. a battery on
the left flank above [[?]]
putting in Gas & [[h. l.?]]
caused a bit of trouble but
/ [[?]] were [[fool?]]. 79
To protect / consolidating
fighting patrols were sent
out in / afternoon. They
killed a few Germans. They
were almost to / outskirts
of Prozart. Later in / afternoon
the Germans got some other
guns [[& fired [[inserted]] into the gully by Pon H.Q.
where a supply dump was
& a German canteen w plenty
of beer.
In the fighting on the
scrub on / objive at R13centl.
The 2 tanks were sent
for but had gone back. [[XXXX crossed out]]
While the Germans held us here
they must have established
the small post wh D Coy
had to meet. In this 80
fight the smoke bombs were
On Aug. 8 48 Bn lost:-
K. Lt. J.G. O'Neill - on the final
objective in front of the
little wood, with C Coy.
Wd Lt. W.B.Carr MC DCM (who took Bn HQ
at Monument wd with Stokell) L.G. ws fired over
his back at Bullecourt) Hit after D Coy got in.
Wd. Lt B.A.Jones, hit coming
up to Accroche Wood.
Lt Stokell MC at Richmond
Gully, waiting.
Lt L.L.Carter M.M. on
the final objive with D
Coy. He ws a B Coy Offr
but have came round to /left
to see what ws holding the 2 platoons.
Took them over / top when the L. Gunners
Col Perry Wd. R. Ord.
either from arty or aeroplanes
-- not smoke bombs from rifle
grenades. The Smoke ws on /
ridge just abt this point.
In this fighting the Officers
concerned were - [[XXX crossed out]] Lt Potts
MC. (now Bar) & Sergt Kealy, DCM
Sergt Seal MM. did well there
too & Pte Barry. They got round this oppsitn by
bombing ap l trench.
48Bn had 65 [[?]].
The [[?]] ptn who took
out the fighting patrol towds
Prozart ws Lieut. M B T McDowell
M.C. M.M (the same Offr who
with 6 men got thro Monument
Wood on May 3.). 81
NB (Afr May 3. An Offr of 4 MG Bn is
sd to have got into Prozart.
Donancourt Ap. 5.
When Brown went down to the post he
saw the Colonel of the Tommies ([[?]] &
told him tt they were moving back onto Pioneer
[[?]] & tt this left no one on his flank. He [[?]]
Then C.O told Lt Ferguson [[Liaison Offr [[inserted]] that he ws satisfied
that everything possible had bn done.
This bought / line into Pioneer Trench.
Later the Tommies got out & swung across
the valley from abt Z north to [[?]]
During the attack S Gr Tregowoth in the
morning went across to the Tommies
at X Y giving them the positio n on the
rt (as Known to Bn H.Q.) He first
tried (as Coy Sqr.) to signal / message across
to / Tommies. They cont get it. He
accly took it across. He ws hit severely
abt ½ way across - he had 200 yds
to go. He crawled & stumbled under
(This M.G. fire & ws hit once more. He finally
got to / Tommies & before his [[?]] [[?]] [[?]]
to be delivered his message & ws taken away
on a stretcher.
(48 Bn.
(Monument Wood
After Monument Wd on May 3 the
German Jaegers, who fought
so well, aftwds sent in
Lt Garland's & Capt Cummings!
effects)
48 Bn Dernanct.
Diagram :- see original document
German Carry
Litter apn abt 9.
At / deal [[?]]
Farm prob surprised him. At 9 he came again.
He got no further. The rt flank came in abt 11.00 p.m.
to Pioneer [[?]]. 5 Ptn got back with Cummings abt 3.
Brown went down to Stephenson. Coy H.Q. signaller 82
Keen to move to Pioneer Trench [[?]] they did as shown.
48 Bn. Sept 18.
K. Lt. Ward M.C. Killed on night
of Sept. 18 when they went up to take
the bit of trench on the rt down
Bde sector.
The Z Coys of 48 Bn got in at
the fork trench at A where rt of 46
Diagram: see original diagram
They then worked rt to B where
there ws a Str. Point. They got 7 M.
Guns & 2 prisoners. The rest escaping
towards X. All / morning the Germans 83
bombed up from Z. Lt Reid held this
for 5 hrs w his platoon. The German
arty and arty protecting the Tommies
blew [[XXX crossed out]] us out o / trench abt 2 pm Sept 19,
& they retired putting in 3
stops from B to A. The arty
put us out of there - the German
estshd himself at B again.
48 Bn estabd themselves in
Onoto [[?]] & touched with
Tommies who by then were in
[[Fo?]] trench in touch on our
rt (line from there uncertain
to us).
Ward ws K by a shell in
Onoto [[?]].
19/20
After dark the same Coys
attacked up Pen [[?]] & over the
top from Onoto, with a
sprinkling barrage. They took the
S/P at B & put blocks at
X Y & Z & connected w /
84
Tommies by outposts S of [[Enbelpot?]] Entrance Trench.
That ws / line handed over.
The point B is the summit.
They had / whole view o /
hillside then.
Lt R.N.J. Fletcher wd. 18 Sept.
just getting to D Coys objive.
(Centre Coy)
This day Capt Anderson D.S.O.
had worked out to / rt (for this)
onto / top o / ridge w his
L. Gs & when / Germans
C/attacked he got onto the
rt o / attack w his L. Gs.
& the 45 Bn from the left.
As soon as 45 Bn started
Andersons men got up on the
crest o / hill & saw these Germans
& turned into them w L. Gs. 85
When 48 Bn struck Cookes Trench
part of the [[German]] inserted]] Coy wh ws holding it
fought. Others got back to Bn
H.Q. in a Copse in rear & in /
Sunken road abt 600 yds from /
rt of our objive. They too fought
from here - their offrs cd be seen
trying to reorganise them.
Capt Anderson's (C Coy) Lieut
Gelston & Lt Parry's platoons of
C Coy were pushed forward
& Parry's Ptn worked over
to / rt; round / shoulder o /
hill. The Tommies had got
into Maine Trench on / rt. Parry
took the Tommies up to their [[?]]
(He ws the liaison officer with /
Tommies & left flank) He then
came back to the Coy. led his Pln 86
round /shoulder o / hill. The
L Gunners covered / Copse
& / bombers worked round
/ reverse slope o / hill & took
some German prisoners; bombed
the Pon H.Q. dugout (Sergt Price
who led this for a D.C.M.) & took
a no prisoners incl. 11 German
Offrs & 60 or 70 men.
Meanwhile a L. Gunner
from No 9 Pln named Rockford
pushed well fowd w his gun &
when / Germans came out o / Sunken
Road he opened fire on them. They
were waiting for their Bn HQrs.
He killed 34 & all day long our
Ambulances were carrying back
thir wd.
At / same time Gelstons Pln
had contributed by working over
/ crest (by / Sunken Rd) & down / 87
other side. The Germans there were
[[?]] enclosed & 187 prisoners
were obtained (including Price's
60).
Just as these prisoners
were coming back the 45 Bn
was seen coming up / slope
towds Cookes [[?]] in arty formation
They moved exactly as on parade
to / German ws shelling.
As they passed thro [[XX]] crossed out]]
C Coy 48 Bn began to dig
in. B Coy The fight w the
c/attack was not see by
C. Coy. 88
-
Write [[?]] abt Sergt Stafford
& Rasebeck
& Williams
2. Write [[?]] abt McSharry's diary
& Pope's Diary
3. Circular abt photos
-----------------
Capt F. Anderson
48 Bn now in S.A.
has some fine photos [[?]]
to [[?]]
NO. 3.
210
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